Dear readers and businesses who have come to rely on Sherman Publications, Inc. (publishers of The Clarkston News, Lake Orion Review, Oxford Leader, The Citizen, Ad-Vertiser, Penny Stretcher and The Big Deal), for the first time in our very long history, we will temporarily cease print publications after this edition, April 8, 2020.
This is very hard on our family-owned and operated business and these unprecedented circumstances have led us to our conclusion of ceasing print publications. Due to COVID-19, Michigan’s closing down all “non-essential” business and the governor’s no face-to-face interaction mandate, we can not sustain operational capital.
As of March 27 all our office, editorial and advertising staffs have been laid off — for the health and well being of their families and for ours. These were forced layoffs brought upon by COVID-19 and lack of local business advertising support.
We will temporarily shift from both printed newspaper and news websites to focusing on our newspaper websites:

ClarkstonNews.com
OxfordLeader.com
LakeOrionReview.com
TheCitizenonline.com.

The website will be updated daily, with community news, features and obituaries until the “all clear” is given. The paywall is also lifted so all the same stories will be available online at no cost. Please visit often and let us know how all of you are faring.
Note To All: All phone calls to our indivdual newspaper offices will be directed to our main office in Oxford (or you can call direct with news-tips or marketing inquiries to 248-628-4801). This office, while closed to the public, will be manned by my family. We will answer phones, and monitor our company e-mail, ShermanPub@aol.com. All mail sent United States Postal Service will be delivered to our main office.
Note To Local Business Owners: we currently have online advertising opportunities available to keep you in front of the community. Also, this is a great time to think about your marketing strategy once life gets back to normal. We value our business partners and your support over the years and we look forward to a bright future, hopefully starting sooner than later.
Like you and other businesses we are enduring the coronavirus crisis one day at a time and adjusting to new ways of life. We pray for first responders, medical professionals, caregivers, and researchers responsible for fighting the coronavirus, for all business owners and families facing financial stress.
It’s a tough battle on many levels. We miss the face-to-face interaction with all of you, I just want you to know, we’re still here and we hope to be back and printing soon.
— Jim Sherman, Jr., publisher.